Editor’s note: This is part of an ongoing series of stories that focuses on people who are making a difference in education in the River Valley.

ATKINS — The Atkins School District is home to the Red Devils, a symbol that for many represents an adversary, but for the students and staff who go there every day, the school district is anything but.

For many of the teachers and the students, it’s more than a building, a learning facility or a job — it’s a home.

As a home the love that’s been poured through the hallways and classrooms far exceeds what you might find in a typical workplace.

Here are the stories of five people who have poured out that love. Many have given the majority of their lives to the children who attend Atkins schools. They aren’t the five most important, or the only five who matter — but they are five you should know about.

Charlie Sorrels

Until 2011, there had almost constantly been a Sorrels on the Red Devils sideline since 1949 — either current athletic director Charlie Sorrels or his father, Carl.

Sorrels took over in 1976, five years after his father retired in ‘71 and coached Atkins to a 179-95-1 record, 19 playoff berths and eight conference championships. He also took over as the winningest coach in Atkins history when he beat his father’s previous record of 145 wins in 2004.

Sorrels said his parents’ athletic influence was instrumental in his becoming a coach in the first place.

“It was really both my parents in the beginning. I had really known nothing else,” Sorrels said. “I was raised on a football field and in the gym, and I participated in sports all my life. In the beginning, it was a big influence.”

Sorrels became athletic director in 2000 when Larry Carter resigned. For Sorrels, the idea of being AD didn’t occur to him until the opportunity presented itself.

“I just hadn’t thought much about it,” he said. “I had always supported other sports, but I didn’t have any direct responsibilities over them.”

With his new role, that was about to change — something Sorrels admitted was difficult to adjust to in the early days.

“It was more time-consuming than I had envisioned,” he said. “I had duties at basketball, baseball — pretty well every sport we have. The added responsibility of the other sports was a lot.”

“That was the good part, too. I got to be more involved and get to know many of the kids who were sports specific, that is, they only played one of the sports I didn’t coach.”

Sorrels stayed on as head coach until 2011, when he handed the baton to Tommy Cody. Sorrels said he has enjoyed his 38 years with Atkins School District.

“I’ve lived here all my life,” he said. “It’s been really good to me. I was really fortunate to have a lot of really good athletes and coaches to work with.”

Although having good staff and colleagues certainly helped keep the engine running, Sorrels said there was one thing that has kept him coming back: The kids.

“I still enjoy being around kids and working with kids,” he said. “I still enjoy seeing the kids and seeing the ones who probably wouldn’t have graduated from high school if it hadn’t been for athletics. It’s a really good feeling. I think that’s why you stay a lot of times. At least, that’s why I have stayed.”

During his time as a Red Devil, Sorrels both played for his father and coached second generation Sorrels on the field. He was named conference coach of the year in 2003, has been an Arkansas High School Coaches Association (AHSCA) All-Star coach three times and named to the Arkansas Activities Association Hall of Fame.

For him, it started as a family affair — and it’s still a family affair.

“The school and the Red Devils have been really important to me and my whole family,” he said. “I’ve been here almost my entire life. I hope I’ve had some influence. I hope I’ve had enough of a good influence on the kids. I just try and do my job and do it the best I can.”

JeAnna Denton

When JeAnna Denton made the switch from teaching fourth grade to second grade, it was mostly for a change in work environment. She taught fourth grade for 16 years, after all. At the time, she suspected she would enjoy it more than fourth grade. She didn’t know the decision would change her life.

“I thought I would enjoy the energy and the age of the second-grade children,” she said. “After having been somewhere for 16 years, I needed a change. Although I adored my fourth graders, I loved my second graders.”

Fourth graders, she explained, had a lot of pressure. There’s a lot more you have to learn in the fourth grade and a lot more required of you than in the second.

“They’ve got very little time to do it in,” she said. “And it’s not as fun for them sometimes.”

Second graders, on the other hand, are still excited to learn.

“Everything is new to them. There are so many things they don’t know. Their little minds are like sponges and they want to know it all,” she said.

Above her classroom door hangs a large laminated, cardboard pencil with the words “Be nice” written on it. It’s the No. 1 rule in her classroom, and one she adheres to in her every-day life.

“I have two parents who taught me that life has good and life has bad,” she said. “Academic skills are important, but teaching kids to be good people is also important. I teach them that you can disagree with someone, but you have to do it in a positive manner. You can’t be mean, cold or belittle someone.”

Denton showed the kids exactly what those two words meant when she adopted Jaleb Denton, a child who came through her class. Jaleb had been in 14 different foster homes by the time he walked under the No. 2 pencil above Denton’s second-grade classroom.

“Sometimes you just have to do something for other people,” she explained. “He needed a family. I needed another child and I just didn’t know it.”

Jaleb, now in the seventh grade, has the family he needs — Denton gave it to him by following the very simple rule she has laid down for her students: Be nice.

“Some people think I’m nuts because I’m almost 50 with a 13-year-old,” she said. “But it’s good for me. It’s good for him, too.”

Betsy Hays

Betsy Hays spent seven years teaching in Wonderview. When the opportunity to return to Atkins presented itself, for Hays it was a no-brainer.

“Atkins is my hometown,” she said. “I was familiar with the district and the expectations that we have for our students because I went to school here. I was able to come back, not only to my hometown, but to the community I had grown up in.”

Now in her 32nd year at Atkins, Hays is the Gifted and Talented (GT) director, federal programs director and the project director for mentoring new teachers.

Hays not only helps orient and prepare children for the challenges they will face after high school, she helps new teachers prepare for the challenges they will face when they walk into the classroom.

With the GT program, Hays helps organize projects for the teachers and students. She explained the school’s policy on GT is “GT students are GT students year-round.”

“We do a lot of community on-site research projects that go all year,” she said.

The students work closely with the Dr. Debra Burris, associate professor of astrophysics and educational outreach coordinator for the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, and the Stream Team, coordinated by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC). Students collect data to monitor water quality, data which Game and Fish actually use.

“I work closely with the teachers and the staff that are involved,” she said. “I do presentations to various groups that gain support for the projects.”

Besides helping the students learn, Hays and the GT programs are helping the Atkins community — something Hays said is very important to her.

“Being able to contribute to the district in my hometown is very important to me,” she said. “I value the relationships that I’ve established through the years, not only with my school family but with the community. I try to do what is required and go above and beyond that. I have a sincere desire to see the district and the students succeed.”

It’s impossible to count the number of lives Hays has touched. She speculated her long-term presence in Atkins High School provided stability to her colleagues and the students.

“Students will always need guidance,” she said. “They need a sense of independence as well. If they are actively involved in their learning, they will develop a sense of learning throughout their lives. There is as sense of responsibility and accountability that developed.”

Penny Laymon

“The only thing difference between teaching sixth-grade and kindergarten,” Penny Laymon explained, “is that sixth graders are kindergardeners with attitudes.”

Laymon made the swap to teaching sixth grade after teaching kindergarten for seven years. She’s been at it for eight years and still going strong.

“It was something new,” she said. “I was ready for a new adventure.”

Laymon said teaching sixth grade fits her in a way kindergarten didn’t. She can joke with students. She can act out a little bit and she can do projects with them.

“Kindergarten teachers have one of the toughest jobs in the school,” she said. “With sixth graders you can really branch out.”

Laymon teaches science and reading classes at the middle school and while she is interested in approaching the kid’s learning in “branching” ways, she’s also interested in showing them that she cares.

“It’s not just about teaching the subject,” she said. “You have to show them that they mean something. This is the age that they start changing. I think that is why I love it. I want to be there and show them I care, because this is a tough age to go through.”

Laymon admitted it does require patience, which is something she learned through a difficult experience.

When she was still in school her father had a massive stroke. While he survived, things were never quite the same.

“It was hard times for quite a few months,” she said. “Even though we went through hard times, I still participated in school events. We just enjoyed life. Every day was hard. We had to learn patience because he couldn’t think as fast or speak as fast. I think it made me a better person.”

Laymon credits her parents for her positive outlook on life, even before the stroke taught her to be patient.

“Mother and father inspire me to think of others,” she said. “I’ve always been one that believes in God and I feel like it’s a calling to teach. My mom would pick kids up to go to church, and we’d talk to them and think about about other people and the things they are going through. I think because I lived through some of that I can think of others a little more. You can overcome hard times, and you can still think of others and make the best of your circumstances.”

Celeste Kent

Celeste Kent has been the high school secretary for a long time. When asked exactly how long, she paused for a moment before answering.

“I’m not sure,” she said. “Let’s just say more than 20 years.”

Before that, she had been a substitute teacher. When a position opened as the high school secretary, the superintendent at the time approached her and asked if she’d be interested.

She was.

The secretary job isn’t one suited for just anyone. It’s hectic and, at times, stressful.

“It’s hectic even before school starts,” Kent said. “My job doesn’t just deal with students. I’m the records clerk and the registrar.”

But for Kent there is a payoff: the students. Kent said she enjoys getting to work with the students and the ability to watch them grow and mature. She rises to the responsibility she has in educating them — even as a secretary.

“I try to be fair with all the students. I think it’s important for the students to see us making right choices,” she said.

Or, in other words — setting an example. Kent had a solid example to look up to herself, after all.

“I had very strict parents who taught me between right and wrong,” she said. “And I’m friends with the counselor who was my counselor in high school. Her name is Alta Cheek, and she could be a role model for anyone.”

Kent was fortunate enough to look up to Cheek during her high school years and then work with her as a colleague in her adult life — an experience she said has shaped her outlook on her job.

“She was always a role model for me,” Kent said. “It was a privilege to be a colleague with her. When we were growing up she was always there for me and our class. She was always a sponsor and she was always at every event.”

Having been the school secretary for more than 20 years, Kent has seen her share of students come and go. She said that it’s one of the things she enjoys about her job most.

“I’ve seen many successful students,” she said. “I’ve seen students come back through the high school with their kids. I’ve attended Atkins school all my life, and I’ve very proud of the school system we have. When the kids come back through and you see how much they’ve grown and how successful they’ve become, it gives me a lot of pride.”